Shoe sole attaching apparatus



W. F. M CORMICK SHOE SOLE ATTACHING APPARATUS Filed June 29, 1935 INVENTOR A TTORNEYS.

Patented Dec. 22 1 936 UNiTED- STATES PATENT @FFICE SHOE SOLE ATTACHING APPARATUS Application June 29, 1935, Serial No. 28,991

9 Claims.

This. invention relates to welt grippers employed, in shoe bottom attaching apparatus or presses designed for use in cementing or otherwise adhesively attaching leather or other soles to shoes, boots, or other footwear, wherein the lastedt portions of' the footwear and the soles tobesecuredthereto have been coated previously withan adhesive, the cemented parts assembled, and the assembly placed in the press and subjected to pressure until the cement or other adhesive has set and united the parts.

, More particularly, the invention contemplates an improvement upon the form of welt gripper disclosed ina copending application of George H. Barge, Serial No. 738,911, filed August 8, 1934. The gripper referred to comprises a selfcontained unitary structure composed of a pluralityof spring-pressedhinged sections connected end to end for relative movement and forming a substantially horseshoe-shaped member which is rigid vertically but laterally flexible. The springs associated with the sections normally maintain the-gripper in collapsed condition with its end. sections abutting one another, but the 25 hinge motion of the sections renders it flexible andexpansible (antagonistically to the springs) for disposition around the toe of a shoe and in ,engagementwith the welt, to the shape of which the gripper adjusts itself by the tendency of the springs to cause it to resume its collapsed condition. The sections of which the gripper is composed are pintled together and although they are detachable from one another, adjacent sectionsare provided with-different forms of hinge bearings, those on. one section being the complement of those on the other, and two sections constitute a link. Hence, it is impossible to re- ,move or add a single section to vary the length or shape of the gripper.

It is the object of the present invention to obviate this disadvantage, and to this end the gripper is composed of a plurality of sections each of which is provided at one end with one form of hinge bearing and at the opposite end 45 with a bearingcorresponding to the complement A thereof, so that each section constitutes a link in the seriesmaking up the complete unit. With this arrangement, a single section may be removedor added, or a different section or sections substituted, at any required point in the series and, hence, the gripper may have its length and shapereadily varied, as desired. To render the sections quickly detachable, the arrangement of the springs betweenv the sections most frequently detached is modified. so that the springs may be removed andreplaced independently of the connecting pintles, thereby relieving the spring pressure on the hinges for the easy removal and replacement of the pintles.

Referring to the drawing: 5

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the improved welt gripper, shown in operative engagement with the welt of a shoe;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the gripper shown in Fig. l; 10

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a plurality of disconnected sections andpintles; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation through. the hinge connection of two sections of a side portion of the gripper. 15

As shown, the gripper A comprises a plurality of separate sections A connected together to form a unitary whole, the sections differing in size-and shape in accordance with the portions of the welt with which they are to engage. For example, in the region of the toe of the shoe where the curvature is sharpest, three small sections a, a and a are located, these being curved more sharply than the remaining sections. The four sections a a a and a (twoon each side) are adapted to engage the straighter portions of the welt and, therefore, are themselves substantially straight and of equal length; while the end sections a and a are quite difierent both as to length and shape, the former being adapted to engage with the nearly straight portion of the welt on the outer side of the shoe, whereas the latter is designed to engage the turned-in portion of the welt on the inner side of the shoe in the region of the arch. Each section A is formed with fiat top and. bottom surfaces A and A respectively, but it will be observed that the base portions are tapered inwardly, as at A to provide wide Welt engaging surfaces and to enable them to fit in as closely as possible to the line of union of the welt and the shoeupper.

The sections A are fastened together by pintles A inserted in drill holes A passing entirely through the wide hinge bearings A A and part way through the bearing A (see Fig. 4) formed on the contiguous ends of adjacent sections. The sections a, a a a and a in the toe portion of the gripper, are seldom detached except for replacement in the event of breakage, and for this reason the torsion springs A are arranged in the ordinary manner, that is, the bearing A is bifurcated as at A to receive the springs A so that the pintles A pass through them and hold them in position with their free ends A and A in engagement each with one of the adjacent sections A and under slight initial pressure.

Each section A except the end sections a and a is made to constitute an individual link in the series by being provided at one end with the upper and lower hinge bearings A and A and at the opposite end with the centrally located hinge bearing A Hence, if a single section, say the section a, is removed, the end section a can be connected directly to the section a in its stead to shorten that side portion of the gripper A; or one or more auxiliary sections of different size and shape can be substituted for the section a Moreover, any two adjoining sections can be disconnected and an additional section inserted between them to lengthen the side portion of the gripper. And so on for either side portion of the gripper or the toe portion, although, as already stated, alteration of the toe portion is seldom necessary.

Since the side portions of the gripper are intended to be subject to the most frequent a1- teration, the connection and disconnection of the sections a and a is facilitated by the arrangement of the springs A which are adapted to be removed and replaced independently of the pintles A The springs A are in the form of compression springs arranged between 1 sections a (1. a and a. and tongues A extending from the central hinge bearings A on sections a a a and a and overlapping sections a a, a and a respectively, the springs A being held in place by small studs A and A formed, respectively, on the sections and the overlapping tongues A 5.

As a result of the independent removal and replacement of the springs A the spring pressure on the respective sections is relieved for the removal and insertion of the pintles A eliminating the binding action on the pintles produced by the hinge bearings A", A and A as a consequence of the spring pressure. Hence, the pintles A can be made to have a fairly loose fit in the drill holes A so that they will fall out when the springs A are removed and the gripper inverted, but should it be necessary, the pintles may be started by inserting the end of a punch, nail or other handy instrument through an opening A communicating with the drill hole A in the lower hinge bearing A The invention has been shown merely by way of example and in preferred form, and obviously variations and modifications may be made therein which will still be within its scope. It is to be understood, therefore, that the invention is not limited to any specific form or embodiment, except insofar as such limitations are specified in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In or for a welt gripper comprising a plurality of hinged sections whose welt engaging surfaces are flush to form an even surface, a

section provided at opposite ends with hinge bearings, the bearing at one end corresponding to the complement of the bearing at the opposite end.

2. In or for a welt gripper comprising a plurality of detachable hinged sections connected to one another and whose welt engaging surfaces are flush to form an even surface, at least two adjacent sections being similarly provided with a like form of hinge bearing to render either attachable to a third section provided with a complementary hinge bearing.

3. In or for a welt gripper comprising a plurality of hinged sections connected end to end to form a chain-like member presenting an even welt engaging surface, two adjacent sections being provided at adjoining ends with complementary hinge bearings and being detachable for the insertion of a section provided at one end with a hinge bearing corresponding to the complement of the bearing at the opposite end.

4. In or for a welt gripper comprising a plurality of hinged sections detachably connected end to end to form a chain-like member presenting an even welt engaging surface, the terminal and adjoining sections being provided at corresponding ends with hinge bearings of like form, whereby either section may be connected to the next adjoining section provided with a complementary hinge bearing.

5. In or for a welt gripper comprising a plurality of hinged sections detachably connected end to end to form a chain-like member presenting an even welt engaging surface, the sections being spring-pressed laterally to maintain the member in substantially horseshoe-shape to present a toe portion and side portions, and hinge bearings of like form formed at corresponding ends of the terminal and adjoining sections of the side portions, whereby the sections connected to the terminal sections are removable and the terminal sections attachable directly to the next adjoining section.

6. In or for a welt gripper comprising a plurality of hinged sections connected end to end to form a chain-like member presenting an even welt engaging surface, the sections being springpressed laterally to maintain the member in substantially horseshoe-shape to present a toe portion and side portions, and the terminal and adjacent sections of the side portions being provided at adjoining ends with complementary hinge bearings and being detachable for the insertion of a section provided at opposite ends with hinge bearings complemental to the respecigive bearings on said terminal and adjacent secions.

'7. A welt gripper for shoe sole attaching apparatus, comprising a flexible member disposable around the toe of a shoe and having side portions presenting a series of welt engaging sections hingedly connected together and providing an even substantially continuous welt engaging surface, and springsassociated with said sections to render the gripper self-adjustable laterally to conform to the welts of shoes of different size and shape, some of the springs at least being associated with their respective sections independently of the hinges.

8. A welt gripper for shoe sole attaching apparatus, comprising a flexible member disposable around the toe of a shoe and having side portions presenting a series of welt engaging sections hingedly connected together and providing an even substantially continuous welt engaging surface, and removable springs associated with said sections to render the gripper self-adjustable laterally to conform to the welts of shoes of different size and shape, some of the springs at least being removably connected with their respective sections independently of the hinges for removal without disconnecting the sections.

9. A welt gripper for shoe sole attaching apparatus, comprising a self-contained unitary structure expansible for disposition around the toe of a shoe in engagement with the welt, said gripper being composed of hinged sections connected end to end and formed with wide hinge hearings to render it vertically rigid and maintain the sections in a common plane and yet permit a relative hinge motion of the sections laterally, the sections being held together by pins removably inserted in alined openings formed in cooperative hinge bearings of adjacent sections to provide a quick detachable pintle connection, and the sections being individually spring-pressed so as to cause the gripper as a whole to tend to resume its unexpanded condition and adjust itself to conform to the shape of the welt, the side portions of the gripper being composed of a series of sections of difierent size and shape yet at least two adjacent sections being similarly provided 'with a like form of hinge bearing to render either 

